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* Airline, airport bosses want more countries open
* Say govt should list likely green countries to help
planning
* Say vaccinated people should not need to test on return
* Some travellers overjoyed at reopening
* Others fall foul of strict new travel rules
(Adds CEO comments, passenger comments)
By Sarah Young
HEATHROW AIRPORT, England, May 17 (Reuters) - The bosses of
British Airways and London's Heathrow Airport urged the UK
government on Monday to open up more routes for travel,
including to the United States, and to simplify the testing
hurdles needed to fly.
Britain lifted a ban on international movement on Monday but
the government has designated only 12 countries and territories
safe for quarantine-free travel on its "green list", limiting
any recovery in the industry.
"What's crucial is that travel becomes easier for people,"
said British Airways Chief Executive Sean Doyle at a joint press
conference.
He said a meaningful return of flying this summer, needed to
help airlines and travel companies survive after over a year of
COVID-19 restrictions, would require the government to relax
some measures.
But there is scant political appetite for doing so.
Ministers have said people should not go on holiday to
countries which are not on the green list, and Prime Minister
Boris Johnson said on Friday that it would not be extended any
time soon because of the risk of new variants.
Heathrow said the limited reopening meant that it had 11,000
people flying out on Monday, up from 7,000 a day last week but
well below the 120,000 typical at this time of year
pre-pandemic.
BA said it was flying just a fraction of the 200 flights
per day it would usually be operating in this period.
The United States, the Caribbean, France, Greece and Spain
should all make it onto the green list before the summer, said
the two bosses.
"We are calling on the government to help people to plan
ahead by publishing a list of countries expected to be on the
green list for the summer," said Heathrow's Chief Executive John
Holland-Kaye.
The bosses also said fully vaccinated people should not
require a COVID-19 test upon return from a low-risk country, and
that a cheaper lateral flow test should be sufficient for those
who are not vaccinated.
Multiple COVID-19 testing requirements can cost more than
the flight for some people. Different country requirements are
also hampering a travel bounceback.
At Heathrow, there was joy for some, permitted to travel
again after four and a half months of lockdown restrictions.
Erica Stolton, 29, was heading to Madrid to introduce her
baby to her family for the first time. "It feels absolutely
magical. It's been really hard, the situation with this
pandemic," she said.
Some others were left disappointed. Jane Sunley, 60, was
turned away from her flight to Mykonos, Greece on Monday for not
having filled in forms 24 hours before departure.
"We'll lose our flights, we'll lose our hotel, there's not
another flight until Friday," she said. "It's not simple, is
it?"
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday a tough border
regime would stay in place for the foreseeable future. The UK
has low overall infection rates thanks largely to the success of
its vaccine rollout, but concerns are growing about a
fast-spreading variant first identified in India.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Writing by Kate Holton; Editing by
Paul Sandle, Michael Holden and Jan Harvey)
